Mandelson still a human being who's entitled to fair trial, says Cherie Blair

"I feel very sad that it's come to this. I think when anyone's life falls apart, we should remember that there's still a human being. And of course, we should also remember that they're entitled to a fair trial. In the media, and particularly today with social media, too many people forget that the people that they're talking about are human beings with feelings and can be hurt."

"Documents released by the US justice department earlier this year revealed that Mandelson had passed confidential government information on to the financier at the height of the global financial crisis. At that time, Mandelson was serving as business secretary under Tony Blair's successor, Gordon Brown."

"He was sacked as Britain's US ambassador last year after it emerged that he had stayed in touch with the child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after his first conviction in 2008."

Peter Mandelson, a key architect of New Labour, was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in a public office and released under investigation while denying wrongdoing. Documents revealed he maintained contact with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after 2008 and passed confidential government information to him during the financial crisis while serving as business secretary. Cherie Blair publicly defended Mandelson in a radio interview, urging people to remember his humanity and his entitlement to fair legal proceedings. She criticized social media culture for dehumanizing public figures. Blair clarified that her husband Tony met Epstein at Clinton's request and that her own mention in released files involved a casual encounter at a women's event.

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